Shakespeare.
Let it be said at the outset that the seeker after bird's-nests is never without plenty of company, of one sort and another. For instance, I was out early one cloudy morning last spring, when I caught sight of a handsome black and white animal nosing his way through the bushes on one side of the path. He had come forth1 on the same errand as myself; and I thought at once of the veery's nest, for which I had been looking in vain, but which could not be far from the very spot where my black and white rival was just at this moment standing2. I wondered whether he had already found it; but I did not stay to ask him. In spite of his beauty, and in spite of our evident community of interest, I felt no drawings toward a more intimate acquaintance. I knew him by name and reputation,—Mephitis mephitica the scientific folk call him, with felicitous3 reverberative4 emphasis,—and that sufficed. At another time, a few weeks later than this, I overheard an unusual commotion5 among the birds in our apple orchard6. "Some rascally7 cat!" I thought; and, picking up a stone, I hastened to put a stop to his depredations8. But there was no cat in sight; and it was not till I stood immediately under the tree that I discovered the marauder to be a snake, just then slowly making toward the ground, with a young bird in his jaws10. Watching my opportunity, while he was engaged in the delicate operation of lowering himself from one branch to another, I shook the trunk vigorously, and down he tumbled at my feet. Once and again I set my heel upon him; but the tall grass was in his favor, and he succeeded in getting off, leaving his dead victim behind him.
It is noble society in which we find ourselves, is it not? In the front rank are what we may call the professional oölogists,—such as follow the business for a livelihood11: snakes, skunks13, weasels, squirrels, cats, crows, jays, cuckoos, and the like. Then come the not inconsiderable number of persons who, for a more or less strictly14 scientific purpose, take here and there a nest with its contents; while these are followed by hordes15 of school-boys, whom the prevalent mania16 for "collecting" drives to scrape together miscellaneous lots of eggs,—half-named, misnamed, and nameless,—to put with previous accumulations of postage-stamps, autographs, business cards, and other like precious rubbish.
Alas17, the poor birds! These "perils18 of robbers" and "perils among false brethren" are bad enough, but they have many others to encounter; "journeyings often" and "perils of waters" being among the worst. Gentle and innocent as they seem, it speaks well for their cunning and endurance that they escape utter extermination19.
This phase of the subject is especially forced upon the attention of observers like myself, who search for nests, not mischievously20, nor even with the laudable design of the scientific investigator21, but solely22 as a means of promoting friendly acquaintance. We may not often witness the catastrophe23 itself; but as we go our daily rounds, now peeping under the bank or into the bush, and now climbing the tree, to see how some timid friend of ours is faring, we are only too certain to come upon first one home and then another which has been rifled and deserted24 since our last visit; till we begin to wonder why the defenseless and persecuted25 creatures do not turn pessimists26 outright27, and relinquish28 forever their attempt to "be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish29 the earth."
Thinking of these things anew, now that I am reviewing my last spring's experiences, it is doubly gratifying to recall that I robbed only one nest during the entire season, and that not of malice30, but by accident. It happened on this wise. A couple [74]of solitary31 vireos had taken up their abode32 on a wooded hillside, where they, or others like them, had passed the previous summer, and one day I proposed to a friend that we make it our business to search out the nest. It proved to be not very difficult of discovery, though, when we put our eyes upon it, it appeared that we had walked directly by it several times, all in sight as it was, suspended from near the end of an oak-tree branch, perhaps nine feet from the ground. It contained five eggs, including one of the cow-bird; but just as my companion was about to let go the branch, which he had been holding down for my convenience, the end snapped, up went the nest, and out jumped four of the eggs. We were sorry, of course, but consoled ourselves with the destruction of the parasite33, which otherwise would very likely have been the death of the vireos' own offspring. Meanwhile, the birds themselves took matters coolly. One of them fell to singing as soon as we withdrew, while the other flew to the nest, looked in, and without a word resumed her seat. After all, the accident might turn out to be nothing worse than a blessing34 in disguise, we said to each other. But before many days it became evident that the pair had given up the nest, and I carried it to a friend whom I knew to be in want of such a specimen35 for his cabinet.
It is worth noticing how widely birds of the same species differ among themselves in their behavior under trial. Their minds are no more run in one mould than human minds are. In their case, as in ours, innumerable causes have worked together to produce the unique individual result. Much is due to inheritance, no doubt, but much likewise to accident. One mother has never had her nest invaded, and is therefore careless of our presence. Another has so frequently been robbed of her all that she has grown hardened to disaster, and she also makes no very great ado when we intrude36 upon her. A third is still in a middle state,—alive to the danger, but not yet able to face it philosophically,—and she will become hysterical37 at the first symptom of trouble.
At the very time of the mishap38 just described I was keeping watch over the household arrangements of another and much less stoical pair of solitary vireos. These, as soon as I discovered their secret (which was not till after several attempts), became extremely jealous of my proximity39, no matter how indirect and innocent my approaches. Even when I seated myself at what I deemed a very respectful distance the sitting bird would at once quit her place, and begin to complain in her own delightfully40 characteristic manner,—chattering, scolding, and warbling by turns,—refusing to be pacified42 in the least until I took myself off. Once I remained for some time close under the nest, on purpose to see how many of the neighbors would be attracted to the spot. With the exception of the wood wagtails, I should say that nearly all the small birds in the immediate9 vicinity must have turned out: black-and-white creepers, redstarts, chestnut-sided warblers, black-throated greens, a blue golden-wing, red-eyed vireos, and a third solitary vireo. If they were moved with pity for the pair whose lamentations had drawn43 them together, they did not manifest it, as far as I could see. Perhaps they [77]found small occasion for so loud a disturbance44. Possibly, moreover, as spectators who had honored me with their presence (and that in the very midst of their busy season), they felt themselves cheated, and, so to speak, outraged45, by my failure to finish the tragedy artistically46, by shooting the parent birds and pulling down the nest. Creatures who can neither read novels nor attend upon dramatic performances may be presumed to suffer at times for lack of a pleasurable excitement of the sensibilities. At all events, these visitors contented47 themselves with staring at me for a few minutes, and then one by one turned away, as if it were not much of a show after all. To the interested couple, however, it was a matter of life and death. The female especially (or the sitter, for the sexes are indistinguishable) hopped48 close about my head, sometimes uttering a strangely sweet, pleading note, which might have melted a heart much harder than mine. Her associate kept at a more cautious remove, but made amends49 by continuing to scold after the danger was all over. By the bye, I noticed that in the midst of the commotion, as soon as the first agony was past, the one who had been sitting was not so entirely50 overcome as not to be able to relish51 an occasional insect, which she snatched here and there between her vituperative52 exclamations53. Faithful and hungry little mother! her heart was not broken, let us hope, when within a week or so some miscreant54, to me unknown, ravaged55 her house and left it desolate56.
Not many rods from the vireos' cedar-tree was a brown thrasher's nest in a barberry bush. It had an exceedingly dilapidated, year-old appearance, and I went by it several times without thinking it worth looking at, till I accidentally observed the bird upon it. She did not budge57 till I was within a few feet of her, when she tumbled to the ground, and limped away with loud cries. Perceiving that this worn-out ruse58 did not avail, she turned upon me, and actually seemed about to make an attack. How she did rave59! I thought that I had never seen a bird so beside herself with anger.
Shortly after my encounter with this irate60 thrush I nearly stepped upon one of her sisters, brooding upon a ground nest; and it illustrates61 what has been said about variety of temperament62 that the second bird received me in a very quiet, self-contained manner; giving me to understand, to be sure, that my visit was ill-timed and unwelcome, but not acting63 at all as if I were some ogre, the very sight of which must perforce drive a body crazy.
In the course of the season I found three nests of the rose-breasted grosbeak. The first, to my surprise, was in the topmost branches of a tall sweet-birch, perhaps forty feet above the ground. I noticed the female flying into the grove65 with a load of building materials, and a little later (as soon as my engagement with an interesting company of gray-cheeked thrushes would permit) I followed, and almost at once saw the pair at their work. And a very pretty exhibition it was,—so pretty that I returned the next morning to see more of it. It must be admitted that the labor66 seemed rather unequally divided: the female not only fetched all the sticks, but took upon herself the entire business of construction, her partner's contribution to the enterprise being limited strictly to the performance of escort duty. When she had fitted the new twigs67 into their place to her satisfaction (which often took considerable time) she uttered a signal, and the pair flew out of the wood together, talking sweetly as they went. The male was aware of my presence from the beginning, I think, but he appeared to regard it as of no consequence. Probably he believed the nest well out of my reach, as in fact it was. He usually sang a few snatches while waiting for his wife, and, as he sat within a few feet of her and made no attempt at concealment69, it could hardly be supposed that he refrained from offering to assist her for fear his brighter colors should betray their secret. Some different motive70 from this must be assigned for his seeming want of gallantry. To all appearance, however, the parties themselves took the whole proceeding71 as a simple matter of course. They were but minding the most approved grosbeak precedents72; and after all, who is so likely to be in the right as he who follows the fashion? Shall one bird presume to be wiser than all the millions of his race? Nay73; as the Preacher long [81]ago said, "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be." Nothing could have been more complacent74 and affectionate than the lady's voice and demeanor75 as often as she gave the finishing touches to a twig68, and called to her companion, "Come, now, let's go for another." Naturally, the female is the one most concerned about the stability and comfortable shape of the nest, and possibly she does not count it prudent76 to entrust77 her spouse78 with any share in so delicate and important an undertaking79; but, if so, she must know him for an arrant80 bungler81, since the structure which she herself puts together is a most shabby-looking affair, scarcely better than the cuckoo's.
Such happiness as that of these married lovers was perhaps too perfect to last. At any rate, it was only a week before their idyl all at once turned to tragedy. A sharp click, click! attracted my attention, as I passed under their birch (on my way to call upon a pair of chickadees, who were keeping house in a low stump82 close by), and, glancing up, I saw the bushy tail of a red squirrel hanging over the edge of the nest. The male grosbeak was dashing wildly [82]about the invader83, while a wood thrush, a towhee bunting (who looked strange at such a height), a red-eyed vireo, and a blue golden-winged warbler were surveying the scene from the adjacent branches,—though the thrush withdrew in the midst of the tumult84, and fell to singing (as one may see happy young couples going merrily homeward after witnessing the murder of Duncan or Desdemona). Meanwhile, the squirrel, having finished his work, descended85 leisurely86 toward the ground, snickering and chuckling87, as if he felt immensely pleased with his achievement. Probably his emotions did not differ essentially88 from those of a human sportsman, but it was lucky for him, nevertheless, that I had no means of putting an end to his mirth. I could have blown his head off without compunction. When he had gone, and the visiting birds with him, the grosbeak returned to his nest, and in the most piteous manner hovered89 about the spot,—getting into the nest and out again,—as if completely dazed by the sudden disaster. Throughout the excitement the female did not show herself, and I wondered whether she could have submitted to be killed rather than desert her charge. To the honor of her kind be it said that the supposition is far from incredible.
My second nest of this species was within twenty rods of the first, and was in use at the same time; but it met with no better fate, though I was not present to see it robbed. The third was more prosperous, and, unless something befell the young at the last moment, they were safely launched upon the wing. This nest was situated90 in a clump91 of witch-hazel bushes, at a height of eight or nine feet. I remarked a grosbeak singing near the spot, and, seeing him very unwilling92 to move away, concluded that his home could not be far off. It was soon found,—a slight, shapeless, frail-looking bundle of sticks, with the female upon it. I took hold of the main stem, just below her, and drew her towards me; but she would not rise, although I could see her moving uneasily. I had no heart to annoy her; so I called her a good, brave bird, and left her in peace. Her mate, all this while, kept on singing; and to judge from his behavior, I might have been some honored guest, to be welcomed with music. The simple-hearted—not to say simple-minded—fearlessness of this bird is really astonishing; especially in view of the fact that his showy plumage makes him a favorite mark for every amateur taxidermist. He will even warble while brooding upon the eggs, a delicious piece of absurdity93, which I hope sooner or later to witness for myself.
While watching my first couple of grosbeaks I suddenly became aware of a wood thrush passing back and forth between the edge of a brook94 and a certain oak, against the hole of which she was making ready her summer residence. She seemed to be quite unattended; but just as I was beginning to contrast her case with that of the feminine grosbeak overhead, her mate broke into song from a low branch directly behind me. She had all the while known where he was, I dare say, and would have been greatly amused at my commiseration95 of her loneliness. The next morning she was compelled to make longer flights for such stuff as she needed; and now it was pleasant to observe that her lord did not fail to accompany her to and fro, and to sing to her while she worked.
The wood thrush has the name of a recluse96, and, as compared with the omnipresent robin97, he may deserve the title; but he is seldom very difficult of approach, if one only knows how to go about it, while his nest is peculiarly easy of detection. I remember one which was close by an unfenced road, just outside the city of Washington; and two or three years ago I found another in a barberry bush, not more than fifteen feet from a horse-car track, and so near the fence as to be almost within arm's-length of passers-by. This latter was in full view from the street, and withal was so feebly supported that some kind-hearted neighbor had taken pains to tie up the bush (which stood by itself) with a piece of dangerously new-looking rope. And even as I write I recall still a third, which also was close by the roadside, though at the very exceptional elevation99 of twenty-five or thirty feet.
It is one of the capital advantages of the ornithologist's condition that he is rarely called upon to spend his time and strength for naught100. If he fails of the particular object of his search, he is all but sure to [86]be rewarded with something else. For example, while I was unsuccessfully playing the spy upon a pair of my solitary vireos, a female tanager suddenly dropped into her half-built nest in a low pine-branch, at the same time calling softly to her mate, who at once came to sit beside her. Unfortunately, one of the pair very soon caught sight of me, and they made off in haste. I lingered about, till finally the lady appeared again, with her beak64 full of sticks, standing out at all points of the compass. She was so jealous of my espionage101, however, that it looked as if she would never be rid of her load. No sooner did she alight in the tree than she began to crane her neck, staring this way and that, and chipping nervously102; then she shifted her perch103; then out of the tree she went altogether; then back again; then off once more; then back within a yard of the nest; then away again, till at last my patience gave out, and I left her mistress of the field. All this while the male was in sight, flitting restlessly from tree to tree at a safe distance. I have never witnessed a prettier display of connubial104 felicity than this pair afforded me during the minute or two which elapsed between my discovery of them and their discovery of me. I felt almost guilty for intruding105 upon such a scene; but, if they could only have believed it, I intended no harm, nor have I now any thought of profaning106 their innocent mysteries by attempting to describe what I saw.
The male tanager, with his glory of jet black and flaming scarlet107, is in curious contrast with his mate, with whose personal appearance, nevertheless, he seems to be abundantly satisfied. Possibly he looks upon a dirty greenish-yellow as the loveliest of tints108, and regards his own dress as nothing better than commonplace, in comparison. Like the rose-breasted grosbeak and the wood thrush, however, he is brought up with the notion that it belongs to the female to be the carpenter of the family; a belief in which, happily for his domestic peace, the female herself fully41 concurs109.
As a general thing, handsomely dressed people live in handsome houses (emphasis should perhaps be laid on the word dressed), and it would seem natural that a like congruity110 should hold in the case of birds. [88]But, if such be the rule, there are at least some glaring exceptions. I have alluded111 to the rude structure of the rose-breast, and might have used nearly the same language concerning the tanager's, which latter is often fabricated so loosely that one can see the sky through it. Yet these two are among the most gorgeously attired112 of all our birds. On the other hand, while the wood pewee is one of the very plainest, there are few, if any, that excel her as an architect. During the season under review I had the good fortune to light upon my first nest of this fly-catcher; and, as is apt to be true, having found one, I immediately and without effort found two others. The first two were in oaks, the third in a hornbeam; and all were set upon the upper side of a horizontal bough113 ("saddled" upon it, as the manuals say), at the junction114 of an offshoot with the main branch. Two of them were but partially115 done when discovered, and I was glad to see one pair of the birds in something very like a frolic, such a state as would hardly be predicted of these peculiarly sober-seeming creatures. The builder of the second nest was remarkably116 confiding117, and proceeded with her labors118, quite undisturbed by my proximity and undisguised interest. It was to be remarked that she had trimmed the outside of her nest with lichens119 before finishing the interior; and I especially admired the very clever manner in which she hovered against the dead pine-trunk, from which she was gathering120 strips of bark. Concerning her unsuspiciousness, however, it should be said that the word applies only to her treatment of myself. When a thrasher had the impertinence to alight in her oak she ordered him off in high dudgeon, dashing back and forth above him, and snapping spitefully as she passed. She knew her rights, and, knowing, dared maintain. When a bird builds her nest in any part of a tree she claims every twig of it as her own. I have even seen the gentle-hearted chickadee resent the intrusion of a chipping sparrow, though it appeared impossible that the latter could be suspected of any predatory or sinister121 design.
The shallowness of the wood pewee's saucer-shaped nest, its position upon the branch, and especially its external dress of lichens, all conspire122 to render it inconspicuous. It is an interesting question whether the owner herself appreciates this, or has merely inherited the fashion, without thought of the reasons for it. The latter supposition, I reluctantly confess, looks to me the more probable. It must often be true of other animals, as it is of men, that they build better than they know. Their wisdom is not their own, but belongs to a power back of them,—a power which works, if you will, in accordance with what we designate as the law of natural selection, and which, so to speak, enlightens the race rather than the individual.
After all, it is the ground birds that puzzle the human oölogist. Crossing a brook, I saw what I regarded as almost infallible signs that a pair of Maryland yellow-throats had begun to build beside it. Unless I was entirely at fault, the nest must be within a certain two or three square yards, and I devoted123 half an hour, more or less, to ransacking124 the grass and bushes, till I thought every inch of the ground had been gone over; but all to no purpose. Continuing my walk, I noticed after a while that the male warbler was accompanying me up the hillside, apparently125 determined126 to see me safely out of the way. Coming to the same brook again the next morning, I halted for another search; and lo! all in a moment my eye fell upon the coveted127 nest, not on the ground, but perhaps eight inches from it, in a little clump of young golden-rods, which would soon overgrow it completely. The female proprietor128 was present, and manifested so much concern that I would not tarry, but made rather as if I had seen nothing, and passed on. It was some time before I observed that she was keeping along beside me, precisely129 as her mate had done the day before. The innocent creatures, sorely pestered130 as they were, could hardly be blamed for such precautions; yet it is not pleasant to be "shadowed" as a suspicious character, even by Maryland yellow-throats.
This was my first nest of a very common warbler, and I felt particularly solicitous131 for its safety; but alas! no sooner was the first egg laid than something or somebody carried it off, and the afflicted132 couple deserted the house on which they had expended133 so much labor and anxiety.
Not far beyond the yellow-throats' brook, and almost directly under one of the pewees' oaks, was a nest which pretty certainly had belonged to a pair of chewinks, but which was already forsaken134 when I found it, though I had then no inkling of the fact. It contained four eggs, and everything was in perfect order. The mother had gone away, and had never come back; having fallen a victim, probably, to some collector, human or inhuman135. The tragedy was peculiar98; and the tragical136 effect of it was heightened as day after day, for nearly a fortnight at least (I cannot say for how much longer), the beautiful eggs lay there entirely uncovered, and yet no skunk12, squirrel, or other devourer137 of such dainties happened to spy them. It seemed doubly sad that so many precious nests should be robbed, while this set of worthless eggs was left to spoil.
I have already mentioned the housekeeping of a couple of chickadees in a low birch stump. Theirs was one of three titmouse nests just then claiming my attention. I visited it frequently, from the time when the pair were hard at work making the cavity up to the time when the brood were nearly ready to shift for themselves. Both birds took their share of the digging, and on several occasions I saw one feeding the other. After the eggs were deposited, the mother (or the sitter) displayed admirable courage, refusing again and again to quit her post when I peered in upon her, and even when with my cane138 I rapped smartly upon the stump. If I put my fingers into the hole, however, she followed them out in hot haste. Even when most seriously disturbed by my attentions the pair made use of no other notes than the common chickadee, dee, but these they sometimes delivered in an unnaturally139 sharp, fault-finding tone.
My two other titmouse nests were both in apple-trees, and one of them was in my own door-yard, though beyond convenient reach without the help of a ladder. The owners of this last were interesting for a very decided140 change in their behavior after the young were hatched, and especially as the time for the little ones' exodus141 drew near. At first, notwithstanding their door opened right upon the street, as it were, [94]within a rod or two of passing horse-cars, the father and mother went in and out without the least apparent concern as to who might be watching them; but when they came to be feeding their hungry offspring, it was almost laughable to witness the little craftinesses to which they resorted. They would perch on one of the outer branches, call chickadee, dee, fly a little nearer, then likely enough go further off, till finally, after a variety of such "false motions," into the hole they would duck, as if nobody for the world must be allowed to know where they had gone. It was really wonderful how expert they grew at entering quickly. I pondered a good deal over their continual calling on such occasions. It seemed foolish and inconsistent; half the time I should have failed to notice their approach, had they only kept still. Toward the end, however, when the chicks inside the trunk could be heard articulating chickadee, dee with perfect distinctness, it occurred to me that possibly all this persistent142 repetition of the phrase by the old birds had been only or mainly in the way of tuition. At all events, the youngsters had this part of the chickadese vocabulary right at their tongues' end, as we say, before making their début in the great world.
But it was reserved for my third pair of tits to give me a genuine surprise. I had been so constant a visitor at their house that I had come to feel myself quite on terms of intimacy143 with them. So, after their brood was hatched, I one day climbed into the tree (as I had done more than once before), the better to overlook their parental144 labors. I had hardly placed myself in a comfortable seat before the couple returned from one of their foraging145 expeditions. The male—or the one that I took for such—had a black morsel146 of some kind in his bill, which, on reaching the tree, he passed over to his mate, who forthwith carried it into the hollow stub, in the depths of which the hungry little ones were. Then the male flew off again, and presently came back with another beakful, which his helpmeet took from him at the door, where she had been awaiting his arrival. After this performance had been repeated two or three times, curiosity led me to stand up against the stub, with my hand resting upon it; at which the female (who was just inside the mouth of the cavity) slipped out, and set up an anxious chickadee, dee, dee. When her mate appeared,—which he did almost immediately,—he flew into what looked like a downright paroxysm of rage, not against me, but against the mother bird, shaking his wings and scolding violently. I came to the unhappy lady's relief as best I could by dropping to the ground, and within a few minutes the pair again approached the stub in company; but when the female made a motion to take the food from her husband's bill, as before, he pounced147 upon her spitefully, drove her away, and dived into the hole himself. Apparently he had not yet forgiven what he accounted her pusillanimous148 desertion of her charge. All in all, the scene was a revelation to me, a chickadee family quarrel being something the like of which I had never dreamed of. Perhaps no titmouse ever before had so timorous149 a wife. But however that might be, I sincerely hoped that they would not be long in making up their difference. I had enjoyed the sight of their loving intercourse150 for so many weeks that I should have been sorry indeed to believe that it could end in strife151. Nor could I regard it as so unpardonable a weakness for a bird to move off, even from her young, when a man put his fingers within a few inches of her. Possibly she ought to have known that I meant no mischief152. Possibly, too, her doughty153 lord would have behaved more commendably154 in the same circumstances; but of that I am by no means certain. To borrow a theological term, my conception of bird nature is decidedly anthropomorphic, and I incline to believe that chickadees as well as men find it easier to blame others than to do better themselves.
Here these reminiscences must come to an end, though the greater part of my season's experiences are still untouched. First, however, let me relieve my conscience by putting on record the bravery of a black-billed cuckoo, whom I was obliged fairly to drive from her post of duty. Her nest was a sorry enough spectacle,—a flat, unwalled platform, carpeted with willow155 catkins and littered with egg-shells, in the midst of which latter lay a single callow nestling, nearly as black as a crow. But as I looked at the parent bird, while she sat within ten feet of me, eying my every movement intently, and uttering her wrath156 in various cries (some catlike mewings among them), my heart reproached me that I had ever written of the cuckoo as a coward and a sneak157. Truth will not allow me to take the words back entirely, even now; but I felt at that moment, and do still, that I might have been better employed mending my own faults than in holding up to scorn the foibles of a creature who, when worst came to worst, could set me such a shining example of courageous158 fidelity159. It is always in order to be charitable; and I ought to have remembered that, for those who are themselves subject to imperfection, generosity160 is the best kind of justice.
该作者的其它作品
The Clerk of the Woods
该作者的其它作品
The Clerk of the Woods
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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felicitous
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| adj.恰当的，巧妙的；n.恰当，贴切 | |
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reverberative
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| 反响（性）的，反射（性）的 | |
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commotion
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orchard
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| n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场 | |
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rascally
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| adj. 无赖的，恶棍的 adv. 无赖地，卑鄙地 | |
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depredations
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| n.劫掠，毁坏( depredation的名词复数 ) | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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livelihood
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| n.生计，谋生之道 | |
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skunk
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| n.臭鼬，黄鼠狼；v.使惨败，使得零分；烂醉如泥 | |
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skunks
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| n.臭鼬( skunk的名词复数 )；臭鼬毛皮；卑鄙的人；可恶的人 | |
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strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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hordes
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| n.移动着的一大群( horde的名词复数 )；部落 | |
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mania
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| n.疯狂；躁狂症，狂热，癖好 | |
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17
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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18
perils
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| 极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境） | |
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19
extermination
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| n.消灭，根绝 | |
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20
mischievously
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| adv.有害地；淘气地 | |
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21
investigator
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| n.研究者，调查者，审查者 | |
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22
solely
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| adv.仅仅，唯一地 | |
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23
catastrophe
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| n.大灾难，大祸 | |
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24
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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25
persecuted
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| （尤指宗教或政治信仰的）迫害(~sb. for sth.)( persecute的过去式和过去分词 )； 烦扰，困扰或骚扰某人 | |
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26
pessimists
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| n.悲观主义者( pessimist的名词复数 ) | |
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27
outright
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| adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的 | |
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28
relinquish
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| v.放弃，撤回，让与，放手 | |
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29
replenish
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| vt.补充；(把…)装满；(再)填满 | |
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30
malice
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| n.恶意，怨恨，蓄意；[律]预谋 | |
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31
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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32
abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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33
parasite
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| n.寄生虫；寄生菌；食客 | |
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34
blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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35
specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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36
intrude
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| vi.闯入；侵入；打扰，侵扰 | |
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37
hysterical
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| adj.情绪异常激动的，歇斯底里般的 | |
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38
mishap
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| n.不幸的事，不幸；灾祸 | |
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39
proximity
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| n.接近，邻近 | |
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40
delightfully
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| 大喜，欣然 | |
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41
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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42
pacified
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| 使（某人）安静( pacify的过去式和过去分词 )； 息怒； 抚慰； 在（有战争的地区、国家等）实现和平 | |
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43
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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44
disturbance
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| n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调 | |
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45
outraged
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| a.震惊的，义愤填膺的 | |
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46
artistically
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| adv.艺术性地 | |
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47
contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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48
hopped
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| 跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花 | |
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49
amends
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| n. 赔偿 | |
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50
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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51
relish
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|
| n.滋味，享受，爱好，调味品；vt.加调味料，享受，品味；vi.有滋味 | |
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52
vituperative
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|
| adj.谩骂的；斥责的 | |
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53
exclamations
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| n.呼喊( exclamation的名词复数 )；感叹；感叹语；感叹词 | |
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54
miscreant
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| n.恶棍 | |
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55
ravaged
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| 毁坏( ravage的过去式和过去分词 )； 蹂躏； 劫掠； 抢劫 | |
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56
desolate
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| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
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57
budge
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| v.移动一点儿；改变立场 | |
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58
ruse
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| n.诡计，计策；诡计 | |
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59
rave
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| vi.胡言乱语；热衷谈论；n.热情赞扬 | |
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60
irate
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| adj.发怒的，生气 | |
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61
illustrates
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| 给…加插图( illustrate的第三人称单数 )； 说明； 表明； （用示例、图画等）说明 | |
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62
temperament
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| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
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63
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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64
beak
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| n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻 | |
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65
grove
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| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
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66
labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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67
twigs
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| 细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 ) | |
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68
twig
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| n.小树枝，嫩枝；v.理解 | |
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69
concealment
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| n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒 | |
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70
motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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71
proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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72
precedents
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| 引用单元； 范例( precedent的名词复数 )； 先前出现的事例； 前例； 先例 | |
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73
nay
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|
| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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74
complacent
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|
| adj.自满的；自鸣得意的 | |
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75
demeanor
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| n.行为；风度 | |
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76
prudent
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|
| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
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77
entrust
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|
| v.信赖，信托，交托 | |
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78
spouse
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|
| n.配偶(指夫或妻) | |
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79
undertaking
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| n.保证，许诺，事业 | |
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80
arrant
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|
| adj.极端的；最大的 | |
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81
Bungler
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|
| n.笨拙者，经验不够的人 | |
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82
stump
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| n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走 | |
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83
invader
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|
| n.侵略者，侵犯者，入侵者 | |
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84
tumult
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|
| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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85
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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86
leisurely
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|
| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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87
chuckling
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的现在分词 ) | |
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88
essentially
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|
| adv.本质上，实质上，基本上 | |
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89
hovered
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|
| 鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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90
situated
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|
| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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91
clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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92
unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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93
absurdity
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| n.荒谬，愚蠢；谬论 | |
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94
brook
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| n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让 | |
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95
commiseration
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|
| n.怜悯，同情 | |
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96
recluse
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|
| n.隐居者 | |
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97
robin
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| n.知更鸟，红襟鸟 | |
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98
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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99
elevation
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| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
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100
naught
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| n.无，零 [=nought] | |
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101
espionage
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| n.间谍行为，谍报活动 | |
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102
nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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103
perch
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| n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于 | |
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104
connubial
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| adj.婚姻的，夫妇的 | |
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105
intruding
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|
| v.侵入，侵扰，打扰( intrude的现在分词)；把…强加于 | |
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106
profaning
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| v.不敬( profane的现在分词 )；亵渎，玷污 | |
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107
scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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108
tints
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| 色彩( tint的名词复数 )； 带白的颜色； （淡色）染发剂； 痕迹 | |
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109
concurs
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| 同意（concur的第三人称单数形式） | |
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110
congruity
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| n.全等，一致 | |
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111
alluded
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| 提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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112
attired
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|
| adj.穿着整齐的v.使穿上衣服，使穿上盛装( attire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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113
bough
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| n.大树枝，主枝 | |
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114
junction
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| n.连接，接合；交叉点，接合处，枢纽站 | |
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115
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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116
remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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117
confiding
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|
| adj.相信人的，易于相信的v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的现在分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
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118
labors
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| v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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119
lichens
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| n.地衣( lichen的名词复数 ) | |
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120
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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121
sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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122
conspire
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| v.密谋，（事件等）巧合，共同导致 | |
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123
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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124
ransacking
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| v.彻底搜查( ransack的现在分词 )；抢劫，掠夺 | |
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125
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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126
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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127
coveted
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| adj.令人垂涎的；垂涎的，梦寐以求的v.贪求，觊觎(covet的过去分词)；垂涎；贪图 | |
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128
proprietor
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| n.所有人；业主；经营者 | |
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129
precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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130
pestered
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| 使烦恼，纠缠( pester的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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131
solicitous
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| adj.热切的，挂念的 | |
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132
afflicted
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| 使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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133
expended
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|
| v.花费( expend的过去式和过去分词 )；使用（钱等）做某事；用光；耗尽 | |
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134
Forsaken
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| adj. 被遗忘的, 被抛弃的 动词forsake的过去分词 | |
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135
inhuman
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|
| adj.残忍的，不人道的，无人性的 | |
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136
tragical
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| adj. 悲剧的, 悲剧性的 | |
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137
devourer
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| 吞噬者 | |
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138
cane
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| n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的 | |
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139
unnaturally
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| adv.违反习俗地；不自然地；勉强地；不近人情地 | |
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140
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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141
exodus
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| v.大批离去，成群外出 | |
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142
persistent
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|
| adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的 | |
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143
intimacy
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| n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行 | |
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144
parental
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| adj.父母的；父的；母的 | |
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145
foraging
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| v.搜寻（食物），尤指动物觅（食）( forage的现在分词 )；（尤指用手）搜寻（东西） | |
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146
morsel
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| n.一口，一点点 | |
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147
pounced
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| v.突然袭击( pounce的过去式和过去分词 )；猛扑；一眼看出；抓住机会（进行抨击） | |
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148
pusillanimous
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| adj.懦弱的，胆怯的 | |
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149
timorous
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| adj.胆怯的，胆小的 | |
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150
intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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151
strife
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| n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争 | |
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152
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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153
doughty
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| adj.勇猛的，坚强的 | |
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154
commendably
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| 很好地 | |
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155
willow
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| n.柳树 | |
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156
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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157
sneak
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| vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行 | |
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158
courageous
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| adj.勇敢的，有胆量的 | |
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159
fidelity
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| n.忠诚，忠实；精确 | |
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160
generosity
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| n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为 | |
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